We’re ready to work

Bay area residents flock to an International Plaza job fair in hopes of landing a position at “the new mall.”

[Times photos: Thomas M. Goethe] University of South Florida students Kimberly Scott, left, Mikesha Thomas and Amanda Thomas fill out applications during Friday's International Plaza job fair at Raymond James Stadium.

By J. NEALY-BROWN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 28, 2001

TAMPA -- Amanda Thomas, Mikesha Thomas and Kimberly Scott have seen tons of job fairs on campus at the University of South Florida.

More than 100 retailers and restaurants conducted interviews for positions during the job fair, which attracted about 1,000 applicants. It continues today.

But none has appealed to the three roommates like Friday's fair at Raymond James Stadium, where more than 100 retailers and restaurants handed out applications and conducted interviews for positions at International Plaza.

After two interviews, 20-year-old Scott was still filling out applications and was exhausted. "And I haven't even done that much," she said.

The USF juniors want to impress their friends by landing jobs at "Oh! The new mall," as Amanda Thomas put it.

The mall near Tampa International Airport opens Sept. 14. All of the mall's anchors -- Dillard's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor -- had booths set up in the stadium's club level.

But an applicant searching for the Tiffany booth was directed to try the company's Web site. Tiffany & Co., Coach and Christian Dior were among the high-fashion no-shows at the fair, which continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

About 1,000 applicants, from teenagers to retirees, searched for 2,500 jobs as restaurant managers, diamond jewelry sales associates and cooks. They leaned on tabletops and sat on the floor to fill out as many forms as they could.

The International Restaurant Management Group held up signs above the crowd that read: "Hiring 60 people."

The longest lines were for the department stores, but other retailers said they were busy too.

"This is a completely new mall so there's a lot of interest," said Ulrike K. Hood, director of stores for Caswell-Massey, which sells fragrances. The store is hiring managers and sales associates and has attracted people who already have jobs.

Hood said one such applicant urged, "Please don't check my references."

Employers were looking for people with personality. For example, there's no lemonade-mixing skill needed to work at Muscle Beach Lemonade & Hot Dogs, said regional manager Erika Boer. "We can teach them that," she said.

But some applicants had their own job prerequisites.

Susan Leibowitz, a former employee of the state Department of Corrections, was looking to use her background in security. She approached employers asking, "Do you have anything in loss prevention?"

If the answer was no, she didn't even fill out an application. And she heard that a lot."I'm going to just have to hang in there," said Leibowitz, 57.

Retiree John Goodwin went through eight interviews. The fit 70-year-old said working is "a way to stay young and make a little extra money."

Since retiring from a property management company six years ago, Goodwin has tried real estate (it took too much time) and working as a bellman at a hotel (until he was injured while riding bikes with his grandkids). So, he's trying the mall, where he'd like to be a concierge. "We'll see what happens," Goodwin said.

- J. Nealy-Brown can be reached at (727) 893-8846 or nealy@sptimes.com.

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